Discovering Hidden Parameters ' Estimates in Operation of an Innovative Electric Arc Furnace by applying Optimization Techniques

Energy-Efficient electric arc furnace (EAF) operations require careful monitoring and skillful manipulation of different parameters. With high-precision sensors, the instantaneous values of different parameters are available throughout operation of EAF but there are parameters that cannot be measured due to different constraints. These hidden parameters can be helpful in better understanding and future improvement of EAF operations. The focus of this work is to find best possible estimates of two of those parameters at different stages of a heat for an innovative EAF with specially designed shaft to save energy. A stage-based spatial-temporal energy balance model was constructed with few quantities expressed in term of the hidden parameters. The estimates of hidden parameters, discovered after application of optimization on the constructed model, reveal their cyclic behavior throughout the heat